In building construction, adjacent panels are made co-planar by applying tape and a mud composition over the joint between the panels, with multiple mud applications and sanding steps. Even after this time-consuming process, building settling, after new building construction, frequently results in cracking of the dried mud at the panel joints as a result of panel flexing at the joints. The flexible paint compositions and methods described herein are capable of coating joint gaps between adjacent building panels, with or without the use of tape and mud, and the dry compositions flex rather than crack.
Modular buildings, also known as manufactured buildings, are constructed at least in part at a remote site. The entire building can be constructed at the production facility, and then moved to a permanent location where the building is positioned on a foundation. In other instances, components of the building, e.g. wall, floor or ceiling components, are manufactured at the remote site, and assembled at the final destination. This type of construction is widely used to construct residential buildings, commonly known as a mobile homes, or manufactured housing, as well as in other residential and commercial structures.
The wall structure conventionally used is constructed with a framework of vertical, spaced 2×4 wood studs or upright members, with horizontal cross bracing members. The framework members can also be of metal, e.g., steel.
A facing material, e.g., wallboard or gypsum board panels, is used to cover the interior surfaces of the framework, while a sheathing material, such as plywood, is used to cover the exterior of the framework. Joints between gypsum board panels are filled with tape and “mud” that is sanded to provide a planar surface of the wall.
A significant problem with manufactured building construction is that connection points between gypsum wall and ceiling panels of a manufactured housing wall or ceiling can become loosened by flexing during transport of the building, or during severe adverse weather conditions, resulting in outer surface cracking at gypsum board panel joints that require “field” gypsum board panel repair after transport, and often thereafter.
Thus, there is a need for improved manufactured gypsum board panel wall and ceiling structure that exhibits reduced cracking at joints as a result of wall and ceiling flexing during transportation or severe weather conditions, and a need for improved sheet rock coating materials for new home construction that reduces joint cracking as a result of building settling. A further need exists for coating compositions capable of directly coating and filling joints between adjacent gypsum board panels without first filling the joints with tape, mud and sanding the mud after drying.
Many prior art efforts at concealing the joint between manufactured building wallboard panels cover the joint with a fabric or film prior to coating. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,816,199 to Dawdy et al. discloses a concealed joint for the fastening of wallboard. The patent teaches pressing the edges of the sheet into joints formed between the panels and then inserting a decorative strip to hold the predecorated sheet edges in place in the joint. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,805 to Wenkowski discloses a paper batten for use in “concealing” the joints between predecorated gypsum wallboard. The batten is fabricated from predecorated wallboard paper with pressure-sensitive adhesive on the back thereof for securement over the joint. Unfortunately, it has been found that the paper battens tend to wrinkle and fall off. Moreover, the battens when in place are still noticeable and do not create the appearance of a monolithic or seamless wall.
In another method, a vinyl film or the like is adhered to only the major center portion of the wallboard front face. The wallboard is formed with tapered side edges so that abutting wallboards are secured to wall studs fasteners through the tapered side edge portions to which the vinyl covering is not adhered. Conventional joint compound (such as used in traditional gypsum wallboard joint filling) is then applied over the slight channel defined by the two abutting tapered wallboard side edge portions so as to conceal the fasteners and the joint. Once the joint compound has been allowed to cure, the unadhered edge flaps of the vinyl film attached to the center of the wallboard are trimmed to precisely fit adjacent flaps, and the flaps are glued to the surface of the dried joint compound. Such a system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,935 to Kossuth et al. Kossuth et al., however, use a tapered edge wallboard and the typical “mud system” for filling the channel between the sheets and the tapered area. However, a significant shortcoming is that this method requires considerable skilled labor to properly finish the joints. Other types of wallboard surface modifications are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,489,040 B1 and 5,791,109, including a shrinkable vinyl covering sheet to hide joints, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,919.
The method of this invention for joining wallboard panels for walls and ceilings provides for a monolithic appearance using a viscous coating composition and eliminates the need for skilled labor to form the “seamless” joints between adjacent wallboard wall and ceiling panels, particularly useful in the construction of manufactured housing walls and ceilings. The compositions described herein are capable of filling joints between adjacent building panels, e.g., gypsum wallboard panels, without first taping over the joints and applying a mud composition over the tape.